Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls in Lawrence, KS on July 3rd, 2022
I drove into Lawrence, Kansas sweating even though my A/C had been blasting for all of the nearly 3 hour drive. Living in Southwest Missouri means having to travel to most shows. Lawrence was new to me, a college town. I went to see Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, joined by Pet Needs and The Bronx.
I had heard of Pets Needs before, but just in passing. I adored them by the end of their first song. An energetic frontman backed by a hard-hitting band. The quartet from England had won over the crowd by the end of their set. I’ll be listening to them often.
Next up was the mighty band The Bronx. (Sidebar: They were the first band I got to see play last September after not being at a show since November 2019.) The energy that this band brings to the stage is unstoppable! Also, I could watch their lead guitarist play on his own all night!
Finally, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls. They opened with a favorite of mine, “Four Simple Words,” and the crowd was in it from the get-go. They teared through old songs sprinkled with a handful of songs from the newest record. Partway through the show, Frank played a few songs solo including “Fatherless” and “The Way I Tend to Be.” Solo Frank Turner is very honest, and I loved that break from all the energy. But that energy also sparks an unbelievable joy in the audience that I’m sure everyone felt. I’ve seen less encores lately than I did before COVID, and I liked that this show ended in one. Especially since the second to last song they played is another favorite of mine, “Try this At Home.”
Although I’m not quite sure why, Frank Turner loves the US. And he makes this place a little more bearable when he is here.
Bonus Content: There was this family with 2 girls (maybe 9ish and 12ish, I’m really bad at guessing ages) next to me, and I loved them. Younger one leaves and comes back between The Bronx and Frank Turner and tells her mother in amusement, “There was this girl and her mom in the bathroom, and they looked terrified!” I nearly busted up!
*****
